Arizona State University (ASU) sophomore Juraisa Urrutia explains how climate change will affect wildlife.

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) – Juraisa Urrutia, an ASU sophomore from Yuma, is majoring in pre-veterinary medicine and recently studied abroad in Antarctica.

She was there for about three and a half days and says the experience was life-changing.

“We had to go through the Drake Passage, one of the roughest oceans in the world. It wasn't a fun experience, but we made it to Antarctica safely,” Urrutia said.

Urrutia says she is very interested in marine animals and chose to study in Antarctica because it is home to some of the best marine animals.

“For example, killer whales, humpback whales, penguins, there are a lot of things like that,” Urrutia explains. “And I'm very interested in seeing how they interact with the ecosystem. It was very beautiful.”

Urrutia cites an example of when she was fascinated by animals when a killer whale approached her boat.

“One night we went outside and it was so quiet outside. So when I was outside I noticed, I could actually hear the water gushing out. And then… We noticed that we saw some killer whales from a mile away, and it was about 15 o'clock.''We were so fascinated,'' Urrutia explains. “Then they slowly started getting closer and closer to our boat. Then we saw them jump out of the water, and something crazy happened. While they were jumping out of the water , we saw them mating while we were there.''

Urrutia also shared some fun facts about penguins that most people don't know.

“Oh my gosh, they really stink. It stinks because there's no one to clean up their feces and stuff, and they also throw up their stomach lining, so it stinks pretty bad down there,” Urrutia said. talk.

Urrutia said she has also seen birds steal penguin eggs.

“The penguins were very focused on us humans, because penguins are very protective of their eggs and chicks. So when the penguins were looking at us, the birds were right behind the penguins. It gave us an opportunity to sneak up on them and try to get their eggs and chicks, 'catch the chicks,''' Urrutia says.

She explains that climate change is having a major impact on Antarctica, which is expected to be much colder than before.

“I'm from Yuma, and it's so hot here, I hate being cold. So when I went there, I could just wear a light sweater and pants and go out. So it was just , Wait, it's like this, 'This is Antarctica and it must be very cold,''' Urrutia says. “I understand that. I went during the summer, but at the same time, I wondered if global warming was actually happening. So it was a real shock.”

Urrutia also said that phytoplankton is a part of climate change and that he had the opportunity to study phytoplankton.

“Phytoplankton are microorganisms. They're basically algae, but they're very important in that they absorb carbon dioxide from the air, and they ingest it and it basically becomes their food. So, Phytoplankton is eaten by krill, and krill is eaten by penguins,” Urrutia continues. “So they're very important to the food chain, the circle of life.”

Her class used a filtration device while conducting a field study of phytoplankton.

She explained how she dragged a net through the water for about 10 minutes to collect water.

“I have a little pump to filter the water, and after I filtered the water, I went back to the boat and collected the sample on this little piece of paper,” Urrutia explains. “And you can actually see the algae, which is the phytoplankton. We went back to the boat and looked at it right away under the microscope, because if the algae isn't in that environment, it dies quickly. , when we went to look, under the microscope, we could see these organisms moving very fast, and it was just a full-circle moment for me.”

Urrutia had the opportunity to jump into ice water, but said she didn't enjoy the feeling of the water hitting her skin.

“So when I jumped in, I could see that I was very cold. I was breathing in the water. And as soon as I got into the water, it felt like a thousand knives were piercing my skin. '' says Urrutia. “And I'm glad it was a one-time thing and I have the bragging rights to it, so I'm not going to do it again.”

Urrutia has seen so many amazing things that she will never forget and continues her education abroad.

“This experience has allowed me to consider more study abroad opportunities. For example, I recently applied to travel to Africa through ASU to learn about African wildlife, conservation, and sustainability. '' says Urrutia.

She is excited to meet elephants and have another once-in-a-lifetime experience.